I. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to stands and, more particularly, to a stand to facilitate the construction of a hooked rug.
II. Description of the Prior Art
The construction of hooked rugs is rapidly becoming a favorite pastime of many persons. In order to construct a hooked rug, a hooked rug pattern is first purchased which consists of a pattern of crisscrossing interlaced cords or strings thus forming a plurality of square openings in the pattern. The pattern can also include a colored design indicative of the color of the yarn which is to be secured to that portion of the pattern.
In the actual construction of the hooked rug, a hooked rug needle is employed to tie relatively short pieces of yarn to the hooked rug pattern in a knot so that one or more pieces of yarn are secured around each of the square openings. Moreover, the square openings in the hooked rug pattern permit the insertion of the hooked rug needle through the pattern with an attached piece of yarn so that, upon withdrawing the needle from the pattern, the piece of yarn is tied around one of the crisscrossing cords which form the hooked rug pattern. In constructing the hooked rug, typically an area of the pattern is completely filled with the yarn and, thereafter, the person constructing the hooked rug moves to another area on the hooked rug pattern and the process is repeated.
In actually constructing the hooked rug, it has been the previous practice to fold the hooked rug pattern over upon itself a number of times so that a relatively small area of the pattern is exposed. The folded pattern is then positioned on the lap of the person making the hooked rug and the construction of the hooked rug proceeds in the above-described fashion.
This previously known method of folding the pattern and placing it on one's lap, however, is disadvantageous in a number of different respects. One problem with supporting the hooked rug pattern in this fashion is that the hooked rug needle is oftentimes inadvertently inserted through two layers, rather than only one layer, of the hooked rug pattern. Thus, when the needle is withdrawn, the yarn is tied into a knot around two layers of the hooked rug pattern and the pattern is undesirably fastened to itself. This, of course, necessitates the removal of the knot which has been tied around two layers of the pattern.
A still further disadvantage of folding the hooked rug pattern upon itself and then supporting it on one's lap is that once the exposed portion of the hooked rug pattern is completed, the hooked rug pattern must be unfolded and refolded in a different fashion in order to expose the next section of the pattern. This process is time consuming and oftentimes difficult, particularly when the hooked rug pattern is large in size.